The UK government has confirmed that exports of Scottish seed potatoes to Northern Ireland will resume on October 1.
Plants and seeds had not been moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of Brexit. However, they are now resuming, as set out in the post-Brexit trade agreements for the UK – the Windsor Framework.
“Under the Windsor Framework, plants and seeds can once again move easily within the UK, ending restrictions that hampered consumer choice and damaged business,” a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed.
“This includes removing the prohibition on the movement of seed potatoes on October 1, and we will work with industry to ensure plant and seed movement schemes are as beneficial as possible.”
The Windsor Framework also establishes temporary arrangements for the “flow” of agrifood to Northern Ireland. The movement of the agrifood will be on a sustainable basis. The retail movement scheme will replaced in October which will be available to more traders.
Although this is in place, seeds and plants can only be sold to consumers by professional operators in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
There is already a Plant Passport for movement within Great Britain. This scheme will be adapted to make clear that plants are for the UK only and confirm eligibility for movements in the UK including Northern Ireland.
This will allow plants to move without certification, with goods able to move with an industry-issued plant label in line with other intra-UK movements.
This new internal market scheme “will expand the range of business able to benefit from the new arrangements provided to protect internal UK movements”. This will involve the removal of EU tariffs.
This new “green lane arrangements” reinforcement is part of the new retail movement scheme for agrifood retail products whilst protecting UK movement from the inside.
The movement of all goods from Great Britain to Ireland will begin in September 2024 and the movement of medicine to Northern Ireland will commence in September 2025.
